Don’t Fear Disappointment

Of course our goal as leaders today is to provide the opportunity for every person we lead to succeed. To overcome obstacles and hurdles others wouldn’t dream of crossing. Every Leader reading this can attest to the fact that a lot of those employees cement a place in your heart professionally and personally. Because you gave so much. And they in turn proved themselves, and you, worthy of the battle. You same Leaders can also confirm that the fear of having a mentee fail is overwhelmingly terrifying.

I preach that we should all lead with everything we have. We should put every ounce of effort into our teams and their progression. Sacrificial management. So failure is inevitably… terrifying. No shame in that.

On that note, many, many managers feel like by avoiding the difficult employees, by taking the “sure bet,” you’re saving yourself and those around you from a world of disappointment and let down. And unfortunately some do it to avoid judgement by peers when failure shows it’s ugly face.

Now… here is where real Leaders and Managers differentiate themselves. You must be willing to be let down. You must be able to overcome the disappointment and know that you gave every person looking up to you everything you had. No one likes having their heart broken. Of course not. But to really feel satisfied with yourself and your skills as a leader, you can’t just pick the lowest hanging fruit. Give the effort necessary to help those that need the extra mile. Because, trust me. If you don’t, you could be missing the best fruit of all….